'Tourism Minister’s statement on casinos does not deserve much attention'

Bengaluru: Days after Minister CT Ravi made a suggestion that the cash-strapped state look at casinos as a potential source of revenue, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs J.C. Madhuswamy said that tourism minister’s statement on casinos to boost tourism does not deserve much attention.

Speaking in this regard Madhuswamy said, “All that Ravi said without applying his mind cannot be State’s policy. What he said was not the government’s statement. Can we allow Bengaluru to become Goa,” he asked.

Earlier, Ravi speaking at an interaction with the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) has said that the cash-strapped state looks at casinos as a potential source of revenue. However later he jumped to his own defence and said he didn’t mean starting casinos here. He said he only mentioned that in the US, about ten per cent of those patronizing casinos were Indians.

“The money is Indian money and they are taking it abroad. Casinos in Singapore and Sri Lanka have large number of patrons of Indian origin and at the end it is Indian money that is going abroad,” Ravi added.